Unwell
by pdhtgal
Summary: *Chapter 7* The Grand Finale! Story Completed... N/S, G/C
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, and am writing this story simply for the enjoyment of it. I receive no profits from it at all~

Description: Sara is working on a case by herself when everything seems to go wrong.

Rating: PG to PG 13.. the violence isn't terribly descriptive… 

Archive: Sure, just let me know. 

**~~ * Unwell * ~~**

Sara was standing over the latest Jane Doe that had come into their lab. Of course, she knew that she would be the one to get stuck with it. Everyone else was out in the field. _But not Sara Sidle,_ she thought bitterly to herself. _Everyone else gets to have fun. It's Halloween and I am stuck here in the lab, by myself pulling a graveyard shift, and a double no less! _Grissom and Catherine had both taken the night off, both of them opting to take Lindsay trick-or-treating. Greg has asked to have the day off simply because he had some costume party to go to. Warrick and Nick had taken off when Brass had called them to a murder scene. 

It was so quiet in the lab. Normally Greg's music was echoing through the halls. A very eerie silence had settled over the lab, and it unnerved her. She chided herself, knowing that it was just because she was alone. _There is no one else here except for me… There is no one here except for me…_ She repeated the mantra over and over again in her head. And her response is always the same. "It's because you're alone here is the reason why you're so afraid." She shook her head and laughed at herself. "There I go again, talking to myself." She hunched back over, talking to the corpse. "Let's see what killed you, shall we? Was it murder? Suicide? Hmmm? What are you going to tell me?" Sara shook her head again. "Okay, now I'm talking to a corpse. I'm becoming worse than Grissom when it comes to being attached to my work." Walking away, she pulled off her gloves. Tossing them into the wastebasket near the door, she headed for the break room. Opening the fridge, she stared at it, bewildered. "I know I brought my lunch with me today. Who would have eaten it." Grabbing for the phone, she knew who to call. 

"Nick Stokes."

"You know, if you were hungry you could have asked." Sara huffed.

"I'm sorry? Sara, what is with you?"

"My lunch is missing, Nicky. I know it was you… I know it was. Some joke… Leaving me all alone here, and then taking my lunch. So sweet of you." She retorted.

"Listen, Sara. I didn't take your lunch! I wouldn't do that."

Sara knew he was telling the truth. "If it wasn't you, then who took it?"

"I dunno. I have to go, though Sara. The rain is really starting to pour, and we need to gather as many samples before the rain washes them away." 

Hanging up the phone, she grabbed the phonebook. "Looks like I'm ordering in."

45 minutes later, a very hungry Sara finally got her food. She immediately bit into an egg roll and sighed with content. "Mmmm… food!" She was almost at the break room when the hallway was plunged into darkness. "Great… Just what I need.  A power outage. She saw the emergency lights flicked on, illuminating her way back to the breakroom. Turning, she stepped the other way to get a soda out of the machine. She slammed directly into something solid. "What the…?" She opened her eyes and realized what she had walked into. 

Hands reached out and grabbed her around the waist. One hand snaked around her, pulling her against the assailants body. The bag of food dropped to the floor. The other hand was clamped over her mouth. She kicked at him, swinging her legs violently. Twisting and turning, she fought to be released from his grasp. He wrestled her to the ground, knocking over the Chinese food she had ordered. Cherry sauce slowly seeped out of the bag. "No!" Came the muffled cry from behind the gloved hand. She could taste the powder on the gloves. She continued to twist and turn, fighting him. She scratched him on the face, earning a solid blow to hers. Stars appeared in front of her eyes. 

"Where is she?" He growled.

"Who?" Sara questioned. 

"My girl, you know Vanessa." He was getting irritated.

_Vanessa, Vanessa…He must mean my Jane Doe._ "She's state property at the moment." _Dammit! Why do I have to have such a smart mouth?_

"She's my property!" He shouted. He got up off of her, and got a firm grip of her hair. Pulling her to her feet, he relished in the look of fear and pain that crossed Sara's face. "That's the same face that my Vanessa had before I killed her."

_Oh God! Oh God! I know I recognize this voice, but from where?_

"So where is she Sara? Where are you hiding her?"

_He knows my name? Oh God…_Fear penetrated her every thought. His pulling on her hair brought her back to reality. "She's… She's… this way…" She said, pointing to the lab. _I'm sorry… I have to… _She felt defeated already.

He dragged her there, while she continued to get his hands off of her hair. "Where?"

"She's on the table! Now please, let me go! Please?" The last plea was a barely audible whisper. 

He smiled as he approached Vanessa. His hold on Sara lessened, and she managed to wrench herself from his grasp. She ran, bolting out of the double doors faster than she ever thought she could. Her attacker whirled around and chased after her. "Hey! Get back here!"

Sara screeched as he tackled her. The air rushed out of her lungs when she felt her head connect with the hard floor. 

"You are going to pay for what you did to Vanessa." He snarled. 

"What I did? What about what you did to her?" Sara countered.

"I have done nothing but love her!" He cried.

"You're a liar, you know that! You killed her! You ended her life. She is no longer going to be able to follow her dreams! Get away from me!" She cried. She could feel his hands gripping her ankles, dragging her back to the lab.  Once through the doors, she felt the blows begin to rain down upon her. Eventually, darkness began to close in. She welcomed it. The pain was too great. _Please, someone help me_. She thought as she succumbed to unconsciousness.

~~~~***********~~~~~~~

2 Hours Later

Nick and Warrick parked the Tahoe. It was well past the end of their shift. Stepping out, Nick noticed something strange. "How come Sara's car is still here?" He wondered aloud. 

"She's probably pulling some more overtime." Warrick answered.

"Strange, because she was already pulling a double… I don't think she would work that much, do you?" Nick asked, his own fears escalating.

Warrick shrugged. "We'll find out in a moment or two."

Stepping into the building, they noticed that the power was out. It being morning, light had begun to filter in through the windows. "Power's out. How come the generators didn't kick in?"

"It must have been a bad enough outage. The main one probably just kept the emergency lights and the freezers going." Warrick rationalized.

Nick quickened his pace, worry eating at him. _Where is she?_ He wondered to himself. Fear prickled down his spine. Something was wrong. Something felt off. 

He walked toward the break room, and saw a brown bag lying on the floor, with rice, a half eaten egg roll, and some sauce dribbling out of the bag. "Sara?!" He shouted.

Warrick stared at the floor near the end of the hall… "Umm… Nick?" He whispered.

"What is it?" 

"Is that blood?"

"That's Cherry Sauce."

"No, no! Over there!" Warrick pointed to the spot he meant. 

Nick ran over to the spot. "Something is very wrong here…" Rounding the corner, Nick glanced into Greg's lab. Nothing. He knew where she should be. Running, he pushed through the double doors. His foot caught on something soft, and he went flying to the ground. He turned over, and his eyes widened with shock. "SARA!" 

When Warrick ran into the lab, he saw Nick on his hands and knees beside a bloody and bruised Sara. Nick was checking for a pulse. He calmed slightly when he felt it going strong. "Phone for an ambulance." Nick managed to say. He brushed the bloody matted hair from her face. "Oh God, Sara, please be okay." His eyes roamed the room, searching for clues as to what happened. Then he saw the smears on the steel table. 

He felt Sara cough slightly, and her eyelids fluttered a little. "Sara, honey, wake up."

Warrick came running back in. "I phoned Gris and Catherine. They're just going to find a babysitter and they're going to meet us at the hospital." 

Nick nodded, but didn't look up. His eyes were fixed on Sara. "Sara?" He whispered when he saw her move slightly. "Sara, come on… Wake up. You're starting to scare us."

_Me… You're scaring me._ But she didn't wake up. As Nick cradled her in his arms, he could feel blood soaking through his shirt. 

The paramedics entered the lab. "I'm sorry sir, you're going to have to release her."

Nodding, Nick let Sara be stabilized and then lifted onto the waiting stretcher. He followed them out of the lab. 

Warrick waved Nick on. "I'll meet you there… I'm going to dig for some evidence here."

Nick turned around and hopped into the waiting Ambulance, closing the door tightly behind him. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: This has nothing to do with profits! I write this for fun only! I don't own them, I just use 'em.

Rating: PG to PG 13, again, not much violence… some mild language.

Description: What will Warrick find at the lab? Will Sara wake up?

Archives: Sure. Just let me know.

~~ * **Unwell * ~~**

Nick paced back and forth in the waiting room at the hospital. So many different emotions were running through his body that he didn't know which one to act upon. Fear for Sara's welfare, anger toward the person who did this. _I can't even say the word. I just can't bring myself to do that._ But most of all he just had this weird feeling inside ever since he saw Sara lying on the floor in the lab. Her face had been so pale underneath the blood and bruises that he thought at first that she had been dead. _She would have died and I wouldn't have had a chance to tell her how I feel._

He heard Grissom call out his name; Catherine right behind him. "Nick!" 

Turning to face them, he nodded. "Gris, Cath." 

Grissom looked at Nick's shirt. "Is that…?" Grissom swallowed hard. He didn't want to say it. Though he said that word everyday, he just couldn't bring himself to do it now.

"Yeah, it's… Yeah." Nick ran a hand through his hair, and continued to pace. He looked up whenever a doctor walked past, but none of them were there to tell him some news. "I can't take this anymore! What are they doing to her? What's happening?" Sitting down heavily, he put his head in his hands. "Why won't they tell me anything?" He asked wearily.

Catherine put her hand on his back. "Why don't I try and see what's happening?" Quietly she got up and walked over to the nurse's station to try and get information. "Excuse me?" She directed her question at the nurse. "Can I have some information as to the condition of Miss Sara Sidle?"

"I'm sorry only family can have that information." The nurse responded as if on autopilot.

Catherine narrowed her eyes. She didn't want to have to do it this way. Pulling out her I.D., she flashed it in front of the nurse's face. "There. Now you know that we don't need to be family to find out what her condition is. We are Crime Scene Investigators for the Las Vegas police department. Miss Sidle was attacked while working in our labs tonight. What we want to know," Catherine paused to read the nurse's nametag, "Claire, is how she is doing. That is all that we ask." Clipping her I.D. onto her jeans' pocket, she waited. Catherine could see the nurse contemplating her answer. 

"She's stable, and she's going to make it. As for any other injuries, I haven't received any kind of news."

Catherine smiled and nodded her head. "Thank you." Walking back toward Nick and Grissom, she quipped, "sometimes you have to throw your weight around, but it gets the job done." Sighing, she relayed the news. "Quote: She is stable, and she's going to make it. As for any other injuries, I haven't received any kind of news. End Quote." 

Nick rubbed his eyes. "At least it's something."

~~~*********~~~~~~~~

Warrick was carefully swabbing and dissecting every possible clue that was in the lab.

"Warrick? Man, where are you?" Greg's voice came from the hallway.

Standing up, he pushed through the doors carefully. "In here. It's kinda messy." He looked up at Greg and couldn't help but laugh. "What are supposed to be?"

Greg was standing there in a diaper, with a banner draped across his chest. "The New Year's Baby." He scowled at Warrick, who was laughing uncontrollably. 

"Thanks man, I needed a laugh."

"Haha, very funny." Greg said as he walked down the hall. "I'm going to change and then you can fill me in."

**~~~5 minutes later~~~~**

Greg walked in wearing jeans and one of his standard interesting shirts. "So what happened?"

"Sara was working on our Jane Doe, and was attacked by someone who then took the body. I am going to find the evidence and you are going to test it. Any questions?"

Greg nodded solemnly. "Just one."

"Go ahead."

"Who would do this to Sara?" 

Warrick sighed as he continued working. "That's what I'm hoping to find out."

~~~********~~~~

The Hospital 

The doctor walked up to the three waiting C.S.I's. "Are you waiting to hear about the condition about Sara Sidle?"

Nick was the first to speak. "Yes sir, we are."

The doctor sat down in a chair and faced them. "She is one lucky girl. Aside from some bruising, some minor cuts, and a sprained wrist, she's fine. She's on medication right now to help with the pain, but she is awake. She will make a full recovery."

Nick shook the doctor's hand. "Thank you so much, sir."

The doctor smiled. "You're welcome." The doctor left as quickly as he had appeared.

Nick, Catherine and Grissom looked at one another. "Nick, would you like to see her first?"

"No, you guys go ahead. I know you have to get home to Lindsay."

Catherine shook her head and held Grissom's hand tightly in her own. "Don't worry about it. You go on ahead and we'll catch up with you there."

Nick smiled. "Thanks." Turning around, he walked down the hall to the room that was holding the one person he had been waiting for what seemed like an eternity.

~~~~~~~~~ ****** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back In The Waiting Room 

Catherine was sitting in a chair facing Grissom, their hands locked together. "I don't know what to think, Gris. I mean, why would he attack Sara? Why would he take the dead body?"

Gris grinned a little, a feature he usually only allowed Catherine to see. "Always on the job. And you think I'm bad…"

Cath smiled, and kissed his cheek. "Come on, let's go see Sara. Maybe she'll have some information for us." The couple stood up and walked hand in hand in the direction Nick had recently departed in.

When they entered Sara's hospital room, they saw Nick standing beside her, holding her hand tenderly. "Sar… When I saw you on the floor…" His breath caught in his throat. He didn't know if he could continue.

"Nick," Sara started softly, "don't worry about it. I'm going to be fine."

"Sara please let me finish. What I was saying is that when I saw you on the floor, I thought you were dead. You have no idea how scared I was. All I could think of was what if she doesn't wake up?"

She gripped his hand tightly. "I wasn't sure if he was going to kill me. I…" Sara put a hand to her forehead, trying to remember what had happened. "It all passed in a blur. I don't remember much of it, but I'm kind of glad that I can't."

Nick sat down in the chair beside the bed. The door creaked open loudly. "Hi Sara." Catherine and Grissom walked into the room. "How are you feeling?"

"Not too bad considering. Just really tired."

Catherine nodded. "We'll leave you to sleep." They waved their goodbyes and left Sara in Nick's care.

~~~~*******~~~~~~~~

**Somewhere In The Middle of Nowhere**.

He dragged her into the large freezer in his basement. He had waited for this moment for the longest time. She thought that she could have broken things off, but she was clearly mistaken. No one leaves him. No one. If they tried, he made sure that no one else ever had them again. 

He added her body to the others he had stored in his basement. Only one more spot left in the freezer, and he knew who it belonged to already. One Sara Sidle.

He grinned as he thought about her fighting him. She had probably figured that it had angered him. If anything annoyed him. Laughing to himself, the thought of how excited he had been to have her begging him to stop, to obey him. 

Oh Miss Sidle, you will be mine. You will join the other women I love. We will be together forever. 

~~~*******~~~~

Sara's Hospital Room 

Sara lay in her bed, sweat coating her body. She thrashed in the bed, nightmare's allowing her no peace. 

"She's my property!" He shouted. He got up off of her, and got a firm grip of her hair. Pulling her to her feet, he relished in the look of fear and pain that crossed Sara's face. "That's the same face that my Vanessa had before I killed her."

_"So where is she Sara? Where are you hiding her?"_

_Fear penetrated her every thought. His pulling on her hair brought her back to reality. "She's… She's… this way…" She said, pointing to the lab. I'm sorry… I have to… She felt defeated already._

_He dragged her there, while she continued to get his hands off of her hair. "Where?"_

_"She's on the table! Now please, let me go! Please?" The last plea was a barely audible whisper. _

He smiled as he approached Vanessa. His hold on Sara lessened, and she managed to wrench herself from his grasp. She ran, bolting out of the double doors faster than she ever thought she could. Her attacker whirled around and chased after her. "Hey! Get back here!"

_Sara screeched as he tackled her. The air rushed out of her lungs when she felt her head connect with the hard floor. _

_"You are going to pay for what you did to Vanessa." He snarled. _

_"What I did? What about what you did to her?" Sara countered._

_"I have done nothing but love her!" He cried._

"You're a liar, you know that! You killed her! You ended her life. She is no longer going to be able to follow her dreams! Get away from me!"

"NO!" Sara shouted, her eyes opening wide. "Don't touch me." A sob escaped her lips. 

Nick was beside her in a flash. "Sara, honey… What happened?"

Sara gulped, her eyes still wide with fear. "Nightmare… I remember what happened." Turning her head slowly, "Nick, I recognized his voice. He knew my name." 

Sitting on the bed, he pulled her to him. He could feel her body shake with fear as she sobbed. He rubbed her back slowly, calming her down. He kissed her hair, and continued rubbing her back. "Don't worry Sara. I won't let him hurt you. I promise."

"Thank you." She answered her voice trembling.

Only thing is, will he be able to keep her safe?__


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I'm only having fun with this! No profits to be made here… I don't own 'em, I just use 'em as a creative outlet. 

Archival: Sure, just ask me first.

Summary: Sara was attacked while working alone, a body was stolen, and now the perp wants her too.

A/N: THANK YOU for all the replies I have received for the story! I really appreciate it. It really makes me happy that other people are reading and enjoying the story. Thanks again! ~ 

Now, on to the story….

**~~~* Unwell Chapter 3 *~~~**

Sara had fallen asleep again, this time peacefully. She lay comfortably in Nick's arms, finding the safety she craved within the depths of his embrace. 

Nick however was not sleeping at all. Everything Sara had said about him knowing who she was had him unnerved. He knew that there was probably nothing he could do at this moment. His only task was to keep Sara safe.  He stared out the window, looking at the stars that now littered the sky.  He knew that the perp liked striking at night and that he had something to do with the Jane Doe that Sara had been working on.

"Nick?" Sara whispered softly. "Are you okay?"

Nick smiled a little. "Yeah, fine."

"Then why aren't you sleeping?"

"Because, I need to stay awake for you.

"Don't worry about it. With you here nothing can happen." Sara sighed and nestled deeper into his arms.

Nick smiled again at Sara's confidence in him. If only he felt the same way.

~~~*****~~~~~~~~

CSI Headquarters

Catherine and Grissom were sitting in Grissom's office discussing the events of the last day. "I don't know why he came after her, let alone steal the body. But I can't wait to nail his ass to the wall." Catherine said, vengeance lacing her words.

"I know. So does everyone else here. We called in a temp for now to help with the testing of all the samples Warrick has collected so far." He lifted his coffee mug to take a sip.

Warrick walked into the office, holding a file folder. "We've got a problem Gris. But it could work in our favor."

"What's that, Warrick?" He said, lowering the coffee cup from his lips. 

"The samples that I collected from the _crime scene_. One of them was… uh… semen." Warrick had never felt so uncomfortable saying those words. 

"But, the doctor didn't mention anything about rape." Catherine said, gasping. Standing, she put her mug down. "I'm going to go and see Sara."

Grissom put a hand on her arm. "It's the middle of the night." 

"She's a CSI. She'll be up." Catherine was more determined now, more than ever, to get to the bottom of what had happened.

~~***~~~~

The Hospital 

Sara lay awake, unable to sleep. She could finally feel Nick's even breathing beside her. She didn't want to wake him, but she needed to talk about what happened. She needed to. There were some things that she needed to get off her chest.

Catherine opened the door slowly, entering the room as quietly as possible. Sara's eyes turned to hers. "Sara, you're awake."

Sara nodded. Twisting out of Nick's embrace, she turned to kiss him. "I'll be back honey." Grabbing a piece of paper, she wrote, _talking with Cath in Solarium. Sar~_

Grabbing a robe that Catherine had dropped off earlier, she slowly put it on, wincing. Her body was incredibly stiff. Slipping into slippers, she padded out of the room. 

When the entered the solarium, Sara was glad to get off her feet. "What are you doing here Cath?"

"Well, we have a problem."

"What's that?" Sara asked, a little confused.

"There were traces of semen at the scene, Sara. Did he touch you? Rape you?" _There, I've said it. I hated to be blunt, but I had to be._

Sara's face changed. "No… I don't think he did. I would have remembered that. From what I understand, my clothing was intact, except for my shirt, which had been ripped in a struggle." Her face blanched some more. "You don't think that… I mean that… he had sex with… with… Vanessa, do you?"

"Vanessa? Who's Vanessa?" Catherine asked her quizzically.

"That's the name he used for the vic. Vanessa. His Vanessa."

"So this was a vendetta of some kind." Catherine said, slowly understanding what was happening. 

Sara nodded. "He claimed that she was his property. I held for as long as I could, Catherine, I honestly did… But I thought he was going to kill me if I didn't. Honest! I never would have led him to her if I had known…" Her voice trailed off into a sob. 

Catherine pulled her into a hug. "I know Sara. I know. It's not your fault. It's not Vanessa's fault. It's his."

Nodding Sara yawned. "I am going to go back to bed, okay?" She got up and walked out of the solarium. 

Catherine pulled out her cell phone and dialed Grissom's number.

"Grissom."

"It's me. I figured a couple pieces of the puzzle out. The Jane Doe's name is Vanessa, and the perp is a necropheliac."

"Thanks Cath. See you soon." Grissom hung up the phone, running over to Warrick with the information.

~~~****~~~~

**Somewhere….**

She is going to pay for telling Grissom my secret. I knew that she would be a problem. I am going to have to be rid of Miss Sara Sidle sooner than I thought.

Greg rubbed his hands together in anticipation. Sometimes it pays to save the best for last.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I completely disclaim… I do this for fun… Not profits.

Archival: Sure, just ask

Summary: Where we left off, we discovered who the perp was…

Rating: pg 13… some mild language

I really can't thank you enough for all the replies I have received. Thank you soooo much!

**~~~* Unwell *~~~**

Sara woke up the next morning to find Nick gone. Panic rose deep within her throat. _Where is he, where did he go?_ She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him walking through the door with flowers. She smiled at him as he handed the flowers to her. "Thank you Nick. I don't know what else to say."

"Well, you're going to be released today, and hopefully, you'll take me up on my offer."

"Offer, what offer?" Sara asked, tilting her head quizzically.

"Why, for me to take care of you." Nick smiled and pulled her into a kiss. "Unless you don't want me there, cause that can be arranged too."

"Don't even think about leaving me." Sara said seriously. "You can stay at my place with me. I know you would rather it be at your place, but I just really need to be at home right now." 

"I know hon. I'll be at your place until we catch the guy." Nick leaned back onto the pillows beside Sara and they just held each other quietly.

**~~~ The Lab ~~~**

_~Tell me one more time again,  
just like I didn't hear you,  
Like I don't know what's goin' through your mind,  
I do.  
I played the same game too.  
I know it's hard to stop,  
even when you want to.~__  
  
_

Warrick frowned at the results he received from the computer on the semen sample he had collected at the crime scene. The warning screen was flashing that the DNA source was from someone that worked in the lab. His jaw nearly dropped to the floor as he saw the name that came up. "Greg?" He whispered.

"So you found me out." Greg sneered from behind him. 

Warrick spun around to see Greg standing in front of him. "Greg… What are you doing here? Your shift doesn't start for another 2 hours."

Greg took a step toward Warrick. "I wanted to get a head start on some things."

"Oh well… Look, I've got some things to work on, so I'll just be on my way now." Warrick started moving slowly toward the door.

Greg stepped toward him. "Move any further, and I'll be forced to stop you."

Warrick held up his hands, and stopped walking. "What do you want Greg?"

"I think you know the answer to that, Warrick."

"Did you really think that you could have gotten away with this?" Warrick tried to buy time, but he knew that he didn't have much left.

Greg pulled his gun out of the waistband of his pants. "You won't be telling anyone about what happened and that it was my DNA there. You can't tell anyone." Warrick thought for a moment that the look that crossed Greg's face was one of desperation.

"I won't." 

Greg walked over to the computer and punched in a few codes, erasing the last database search. "There, no one has to know."  Greg fired his gun at the ceiling, sending pieces of plaster raining down on Warrick's head. When he looked up, Greg was gone.

"Well, Houdini, your luck is gonna run out." Warrick grabbed the printout that had come out of the printer. "For a computer guy, it was pretty stupid of you not to check the printer. Dialing Grissoms number, he tapped his feet in anticipation.

"Grissom."

"I've got the son of a bitch." Warrick stated proudly into the phone.

"Who is it?" Grissom's worried voice came across the line. 

"You aren't going to believe me when I tell you."

"I'm in the parking garage. Give me one minute and I'll meet you in my office.

~~1 Minute Later

~Now the moon lights up your face.  
I can see you're cryin',  
You never liked me to see you cry it's true.  
I've done some cryin' too.  
Know the hardest part about it's  
tryin' to hide it from you.~

Grissom arrived, nearly out of breath from running the entire distance from the garage to his office. "So who is it?"

"Greg." Warrick said, rubbing his forehead. 

Grissom picked up the phone, dialing Sara's hospital room number. 

"Hello?" Nick answered the phone.

"Nick you have to get Sara out of there, and I mean now." 

"Why?"

"Greg's our man, and we think he'll be going after Sara next."

"G…Greg?"

"Oh and one other problem." Grissom continued.

"What would that be?"  
  


"He's a necropheliac. That means he likes them dead."

Nick swallowed hard. "Sara will be fine." 

~~~~~The Hospital

~Well it would be great to be so strong.  
Never needed anybody else to get along.  
But we're so scared of the silence,  
and the tricks that we use.  
Oh we're careful and we're cunning,  
but we're easily bruised.  
I don't want to lie about it,  
I'm not bulletproof~  
  


Sara emerged from the bathroom wearing track pants and a t-shirt. "Who was that?"

"Grissom."

"What did he want?" Sara prodded.

Nick led her over to her bed. "I have to tell you something and I need you to stay calm."

Sara nodded and then frowned. "What's the matter Nick? You're beginning to scare me."

Nick smiled a little, but then his smile died. Looking over to the door, he saw his worst nightmare. "Greg."

Sara turned to see Greg walking into the room. "Hi Greg. What brings you by?"

_What is wrong? She seems genuinely pleased to see me. Maybe she doesn't know._ "Just popping in."

Sara smiled. _That Greg, he's a little goofy, but a nice guy._ "That's nice of you."

~Well I've finally found a way,  
to hide from all your glances.  
'Till the waiting game we play is through.  
I can't.. what's the use?  
When all I really want to do is hide out with you.~  
  


"Listen, can I talk to you alone for a second Sara?" Greg asked, watching Nick.

"Sur…." Sara started to agree to it, but Nick stepped between the two of them.

"No, whatever you have to say you can say it in front of me too."

"Nick, what's going on?" Sara asked, a little afraid of the answer.

"It's him Sar. He's the guy. The Perp. The one who did that to you."

Sara shrunk back from the edge of the bed. Bringing her knees up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around them protectively. "Stay the hell away from me Greg."

"You don't mean that Sara. You love me."

~Well it would be great to be so strong.  
Never needed anybody's help to get along.  
But we're so scared of the silence,  
and the language that we use.  
Oh we're careful and we're cunning,  
but we're easily bruised.  
I don't want to kid about it,  
I'm not bulletproof~

"Yes I mean that Greg. You aren't the man I love. Nick is." _There, I've said it. _Sara glanced at Nick as she said it.

Nick smiled a little. "Hear that Sanders? Go away."

"Don't make me hurt you again, Sara. You should have given me Vanessa willingly. You should have given me a chance. I could have made you happy."

Sara closed her eyes and slowly unwrapped one of her arms from around her legs. The began to slowly grope for the call button. 

But Greg saw what she was reaching for. "Don't think about it." Greg fired the gun and Sara let out a scream, pulling her hand away from the button. The wire was severed in half from the bullet. It had missed her by inches. "Don't make me angry Sara Sidle. I don't want to have to bring you down the hard way."

Nick stepped forward slowly inching toward Greg. Greg was so focused that he didn't see Grissom appear at the hospital room door. The door pushed open slowly. "Drop it Greg." Grissom had his gun pointed at him.

"No! I won't let it end like this!" Greg shouted. 

~Tell me one more time again,  
well I guess I didn't hear you.  
And I don't know all the secrets that you keep inside.  
I've tried the same thing too,  
but they all come pouring out of me when I'm talking to you.~  
  


Two guns went off, shattering the silence that had fallen over the room. Everything happened in slow motion. Sara screaming, Nick pulling her off the bed to protect her. Grissom falling back slightly from the force of the bullet erupting from his weapon. Greg falling to the ground. Blood splattered the once white walls. Silence once more over came the room. Nobody moved an inch. Nurses ran to see quite a horrible scene in front of them.  Four people lying on the floor, blood moving slowly moving to the center of the room.

Who lives and who dies? It's all up to chance now.

~Well it would be great to be so strong.  
Never needed anybody else's help to carry on.  
Well I'm not waking up each morning,  
with forgiveness I can use,  
No I'm careless and I'm cruel  
But I'm still easily bruised.  
But I'm so tired of lying about it,  
I'm not bulletproof  
Oh and I'm not gonna lie about it,  
I'm not bulletproof.~

A/N: A little cruel I know, not telling you who lived and who didn't. But I will update ASAP… I promise not to leave you in the lurch for too long. : P

P.S: The Song Used Is: _Bulletproof_ By: Blue Rodeo


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: This is for fun... Don't Sue  
  
Unwell Chapter 5  
  
"Nick?" Sara whispered, breath finally returning to her lungs. Nick's body was covering hers, blocking her view of what had happened. "Nick answer me."  
  
"Sara, are you okay?" He whispered back. Pulling off her slightly, he scanned face for any inkling of pain.   
  
"I'm fine... But Nick, you're bleeding." Sara's hand reached up and touched his arm gingerly.   
  
Nick shrugged it off. "Bullet grazed me. It's nothing serious Sara. I'm more worried about you. Are you sure you're fine?"  
  
Sara nodded. "Nick... you saved my life... Again. I don't know what to say."  
  
"Shh." Nick put his fingers to her lips. "Hush. You don't have to say anything, Sara. You know that I love you. I would do anything for you."  
  
When Sara started crying softly, he pulled her to him, drawing her into his comforting embrace.  
  
~~ The Other Side Of The Room  
  
Grissom slowly stood up, shaking from what had just happened in front of him. He could see Catherine running toward him, but couldn't hear anything. His ears were roaring from the gunfire.   
  
Slowly, he made himself look over at Greg. He hadn't wanted to fire his gun. Grissom shook his head, trying to shake off the realization that he had shot at Greg. Nurses had gathered around Greg, and from the looks on their faces, he knew that Greg was dead, beyond the state of revival. I had to do it... Otherwise Nick and Sara would be dead. You know that that is why you had to fire your gun.  
  
Catherine wrapped her arms around Gil and held him tightly. "Sweetie, I was so scared. When I heard gunfire from down the hallway, I didn't know... what to think." Fresh tears were streaming down her face.  
  
Grissom just continued staring straight ahead. "I killed him Cath. I shot him."  
  
Catherine stepped in front of him and replied, "sure, because he was going to kill Nick and Sara. You had every right to fire your weapon like that." Her hands gripped the side of his face. "I'm just glad that you are all right. I love you so much..." Catherine's voice dropped off and pulled him to her.   
  
Grissom held onto Catherine while he sobbed. Usually, he would have been embarrassed about crying in public, but he shed his tears without a thought to that. "Oh God, Catherine. I vowed that I would never fire my gun. And now I killed one of my co-workers."  
  
Catherine pulled out of his embrace. "You listen to me Gil Grissom. You did nothing wrong. You fired your gun to save two people whom we care about deeply. You did what you had to do." She stroked his cheek softly. "I know that that is no consolation to you, but I hope it helps."  
  
Grissom just held onto Catherine and didn't let go.  
  
  
~~~Greg's Basement~~~  
  
Warrick entered the basement gingerly, with Brass right behind him. The stood in front of the door that they knew would lead them to the end of this mystery. Taking a deep breath, Warrick undid the hatch, and slid the door open. Cold air hit them like a slap in the face, but it was nothing compared to what they found when they looked inside.  
  
There were 9 female bodies, all separately contained, in the walk-in freezer. They were all labeled, with names, dates... Any information that the C.S.I's could have used, they had. Warrick stopped short, Brass nearly banging into him. "What is it Warrick?"  
  
"Look at the name plate on the last empty partition." Warrick turned his head away swallowing hard. Normally, he was able to control his emotions, but this time, when it involved someone close to him, he was unable to disassociate himself from the case.  
  
Brass read it aloud. "Sara Sidle. Died January 14, 2003." Brass sighed. "Jesus. He was planning on killing her today..."  
  
Warrick nodded. "I'll call in the van so they can remove the bodies and give them a final resting place they deserve."  
  
Brass nodded, finally tearing his eyes away from the sign. Turning, he followed Warrick out of the freezer.   
  
  
  
  
~~~ The Hospital~~~  
  
Sara was sitting in the waiting room, waiting for Nick to get his arm bandaged. Catherine sat down next to her and put her arm around Sara's shoulders. "Hey. How are you?"  
  
Sara looked at her. "Okay... I guess. I mean, Greg's dead, Nick saved my life. I should feel relieved, but I don't." She turned to be facing Catherine fully. "I don't know if I can go back to work right away, Catherine. I don't know if I can work in that lab where I was attacked. I don't know if I can walk past Greg's lab and not think of what he did to those other girls and was planning on doing to me." Tears started falling from her eyes. "How am I supposed to work?"  
  
Catherine smiled. "They cleaned up the lab. And there will be a replacement in for Greg. And you're a CSI. Putting things behind you aren't always easy, but you do it because you need to move on from the death and destruction we see everyday. How many times have you found a dead body, and just been able to move on?"  
  
"I don't know Catherine. I mean, when it was my job, I was able to get over it. But now that it is personal, it's going to take some time."  
  
Catherine smiled. "I know that it will take some time, Sara. That's only normal. What you need to remember is that you are a damned good CSI and we need you here."  
  
Sara smiled slightly and wiped at her tears.  
  
Nick rounded the corner, a white bandage obvious on his arm. "Sara, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" He rushed toward her and kneeled down in front of her. He put his hands on hers.   
  
"It's nothing big Nick. I think I need to take some time off work and try and put what happened behind me."  
  
Nick smiled. "That's why I'm taking you with me to Texas for 3 weeks. You're going to enjoy some Texas hospitality."  
  
Sara threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you Nick. You have no idea how much this means to me."  
  
Catherine got up slowly and walked over to where a still distraught Grissom was waiting for her. "We'll leave the two of them alone for a while." Hand in hand, they walked down the hallway and out of the hospital.  
  
  
A/N: Now, I could leave that as the ending, or I could wrap everything up with an Epilogue. Which would you guys prefer? Also... I am having so much difficulty uploading this file... It would have been up yesterday, but it wasn't, because it wouldn't upload past the disclaimer line... sigh 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Not my characters… I just use them. But the Stokes Family Characters Belong to me. 

Archival: Sure just lemme know first

Rating: PG

**A/N:** Okay, I know that I said that I was going to do only an epilogue and that's it, but I decided that I wanted to continue the story for a little bit longer. It just didn't seem right to end it so soon. 

Also, the updates are going to be a little slower than normal… School started on January 20, (gotta love the Cegep system in Quebec… 6 weeks off at xmas) so I don't have as much time to write, but the updates will be coming, I promise!

~~Lisa

Texas

Sara stepped out of Nick's Tahoe. They had rented one before attempting the drive to Texas from Las Vegas. She heard Nick's footsteps behind her and felt his arms go around her waist, his face in her hair. She heard him sigh contentedly. "You are going to love Texas, and my family is going to love you."

Sara smiled and put her hands on his. "I know they will. How could they not?" She laughed. Turning her head a little, she planted a kiss on his cheek. "Now lets go introduce me to the Stokes family." As soon as Sara said those words, she saw the front door open and two people stepped out. 

"Mom! Dad! I didn't expect you to be home." Nick said. He had been hoping that he could have shown Sara around first, but he wasn't entirely disappointed.

His parents, Claire and Thomas Stokes smiled at their son. Carrying their bags, Nick and Sara started walking to the house. Nick pulled his mother into a hug. "Hi Ma. I missed you."

She smiled and hugged her son back. "I missed you too."

Nick pulled away from his mother and shook his father's hand. "Dad."  Nick was surprised when he felt his father pull him into a hug. "I missed you too Dad." Stepping back, Nick began grinning broadly. "Mom, Dad. This is Sara."

Sara stepped forward and smiled at them. "Hi." 

"Welcome Sara. I'm glad to see someone has been taking care of Nick." His mother said, smiling. She took Sara's bag out of her hand and gave it to Nick. "It's time for you and I to have a chat." She took Sara's hand and led her into the house. "You take the bags Nick dear."

Nick grinned at his father. "You may have been in the police force, but she's the commander in chief, eh Dad?"

Thomas Stokes smiled. "Shh. Don't tell anyone."  

~~The Lab~~~

Gil and Catherine were walking to their car hand in hand. "So, Lindsay is with her father tonight?" Grissom asked.

Catherine tossed her head back and laughed. "Yes, Grissom she is with Ed tonight."

Kissing her lightly on the cheek, he grinned. "Hmmm… I wonder what we can do to pass the time."

Catherine smiled at him. "I can think of a few things." She rested her hand gently on his chest. 

Grissom's eyes lit up. "Oh, so can I Cath. So can I."

Catherine kissed him. "We can start with the laundry and then with the ironing. Oh! And the housework…" Grinning she turned away from him and continued on her way to the car.

"Very funny Catherine. You're a comedian." Gil said sarcastically.

"I wasn't joking." She said, smiling again. She unlocked the doors and got in on the drivers side. _I'm in the driver's seat tonight, Gris._

~~Texas~~

"So there he was, in the middle of a big rain storm, wearing only his diaper. It was a Kodak moment!" Nick's mother hooted. Tears were rolling down her cheeks from laughing so hard. Sara was laughing equally as hard.

The front door opened. "NICK!" A voice squealed from the doorway. Nick got up and ran toward his sister, hugging her fiercely. 

"How have you been Jess?" He asked. 

"Real good Nicky." Behind Jessica stood a man, whom he guessed was Jess's fiancé. "This is Wade. Wade, this is my younger brother Nicky."

Nick reached forward to shake the man's hand. "Nick will do just fine." His handshake was firm but friendly. He didn't want to completely ward off this man, but wanted to warn him at the same time.

Sara stepped from the kitchen and saw the reunion and the look on Nick's face when he saw his sister. Clearing her throat, she announced her presence. Nick waved her in. "Jess, Wade, this is my girlfriend, Sara. Sara, this is my oldest sister and her fiancé Wade."

Jess stepped forward and hugged Sara. "It's so good to meet you! I've heard so much about you."

Sara smiled back at the woman. She could definitely get used to all this camaraderie.

Wade looked at her and saw the bruises on her face that were slowly fading. "If you don't mind me asking, are you all right?"

Sara swallowed hard. "Uh… fine. Why?"

"Because you…" Wade stopped as he felt Jess elbow him in the ribs.

"There is plenty of time for that later. Let's go say hi to Mom and Dad." Jess led Wade to the kitchen. She stopped and whispered to Nick. "You had better be taking care of her." 

Sara walked over to Nick and stepped into his arms. He pulled her to him and felt her relax in his embrace. "Don't worry Sara. You don't have to say anything to anyone. It's up to you to tell everyone."

"Thank you Nick." Sara pulled back enough to kiss him. Their kiss deepened; Sara's hands reaching up to play with his hair, Nick's hands splayed across her back. 

Jess came into the room. "Ahem…" She said clearing her throat as Sara had done earlier. "Mom said that we should start getting ready for supper."

Sara and Nick jumped apart.

"Thanks." Nick said and went back to kissing his girlfriend. His sister rolled her eyes and walked back into the kitchen.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I'm sorry it is taking me so long to get new chapters up. Between school, work, and out of town family functions, I haven't had any time to write something. But I am hoping to be able to update sooner than I have. 

You guys were so awesome with the replies to this story! You made it so much more fun to write : )

Disclaimer: The usual I don't own 'em stuff…

Unwell Chapter 7 

**2 weeks later.**

Sara lay comfortably in Nick's arms on the front porch swing. "This is just like heaven Nick. I really needed this."

Nick smiled as he felt her relax for the first time in a long while. He stroked her hair and he felt her relax even more. "I could stay like this for forever." Nick whispered.

"Me too." Sara sighed. "But we're heading home tomorrow."

Nick swallowed and nodded. "Do you think you're ready to do that Sara?"

"I don't know if I am or not, but there really is only one way to find out."

Back in Las Vegas 

Catherine and Grissom held hands as they walked into work. Catherine could feel the nervousness rising into her stomach. How were they going to tell everyone? Were they going to guess what was going on between her and Grissom?

Catherine walked into the locker room. "Morning Warrick."

"Cath. Had a good weekend?"

Catherine smiled. "You bet I did."

"Sara and Nick are due back in tomorrow. Things can finally get back to normal around here." Warrick commented. 

Catherine merely smiled and looked down at the ring glittering on her finger. She had been on cloud nine since last night. "Hey Warrick?"

Warrick turned around and looked at her from where he stood in the doorway. "Yeah Catherine?"

"There is something I have to tell you…" She said smiling. She was supposed to have waited, but she couldn't hold it in anymore. She simply held out her hand, the engagement ring shining in the light.

Warrick stepped forward, his eyes wide. "Are you serious? You and Grissom? Wow!" He said smiling. He pulled her into a hug. "This is awesome. First Nick and Sara are a couple, now you and Grissom are engaged!"

Catherine smiled at his enthusiastic response. "Thanks Warrick. It means a lot to me."

The Next Day Sara's Apartment, Las Vegas, Nevada 

Sara dropped her bag in the living room and sighed. She felt like turning back and hiding in Texas longer than she had. But she had to face her life. She had to face working again.

She felt Nick's hand on her shoulder. "You want to catch a nap before we go in?"

Sara shrugged her shoulders. "Naw. We both know I function without sleep."

"Okay." He smiled at her. "You want to head over there now then?"

Sara shrugged her shoulders. She bit her lip to stop the tears from forming again. It was no use. 

Nick looked at her and a look of concern crossed his face. "Sara… Honey, what's wrong?"

Sara looked at him, continuing to bite her lip. "It's just that… I don't know if I can face working in the lab… where he…. Where he…"

Nick took two steps toward her and held her in his arms. "Sara , don't worry about it. We'll take it one day at a time, okay? I'm here for you every step of the way."

**~~ Later in the Lab ~~~**

Warrick looked up from his cup of coffee to see Nick and Sara walk in arm in arm. "Sara!" He exclaimed, jumping up from his chair. He pulled her into an impulsive hug. "You look so much better." He said.

Sara smiled a little. "Thanks Warrick." Stepping back, she looked over at Nick. "I'm just going to go to the locker room." When Nick started to walk with her, she held up her hand. "I need to do this by myself, Nick."

He nodded, understanding.

Sara walked off. Turning the corner, she looked inside the lab where the attack had happened. She shivered, and kept on walking. She didn't want to let it have any affect on her anymore. But it did.

Shoving her things into her locker, she met up with Nick again. She had wanted to be alone, but now she wanted to be anything but. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. Around Nick, she felt safer than ever before. 

Nick wrapped his arms around her. "Hey sweets." 

Sara smiled at the use of one of his nicknames for her. She buried herself into his chest and held on just a little bit longer. "I love you Nick."

Nick sighed and smiled. "I love you too Sar."

~~~~~~~~~~ FIN ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Again, thanks to everyone who replied to this story. You guys are the best!


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